The Flying
Scotsman: A Rail Romance is a documentary film about the most famous steam
locomotive in the world: the LNER 4472. It was shown on British television
(BBC) and released on DVD in 2013 in order to mark the 90-year anniversary of
this unique engine. Here is some basic information about it:
*** Producer and
director: David Parker
*** Narrator:
Barbara Flynn
*** Run time: 59
minutes
Several people
were interviewed for the film. Here are their names in the order of appearance:
** Jonathan Glancey
– author of the book “Giants of Steam” (2012, 2013)
** Andrew Roden –
author of the book “Flying Scotsman” (2007, 2015)
** Peter Tuffrey –
historian
** Peter Townend –
former Shed Master, King’s Cross
** Bob Gwynne –
National Railway Museum
** Fiona MacCarthy
– biographer of Eric Gill (1989)
** Simon Kohler –
Hornby Hobbies
** Penny Vaudoyer
– daughter of Alan Pegler
** Anna Turner –
dancer on the US tour in 1969
In addition, there
are some old interviews (archive footage from 1999). Here are their names:
** Ron Kennedy –
former driver of the Flying Scotsman
** Alan Pegler
(1920-2012) – businessman, railway enthusiast, saved the Flying Scotsman in
1963
** William
McAlpine – businessman, railway enthusiast, saved the Flying Scotsman in 1973
** Tony Marchington
(1955-2011) – businessman, railway enthusiast, saved the Flying Scotsman in
1996
This film tells
the story of the famous locomotive from the construction in 1923 until its
90-year anniversary in 2013. It is an interesting story and it is told very
well.
The locomotive was
on display at the Empire Exhibition that was held at Wembley 1924-1925. In
1934, it set a world record when it reached a speed of 100 miles per hour (160
km per hour).
In the film the
history of the locomotive is placed in a historical context, so we can
understand why most railway companies wanted to end the era of steam engines in
the 1960s. The Flying Scotsman was close to being scrapped. Fortunately, three
millionaires stepped in to save it. One after other. Each of them was
successful for a while, but each of them also had to learn that running a huge
steam locomotive is an expensive affair.
Since World War
Two, the LNER 4472 has travelled the world. It has visited the US, Canada, and
Australia. In 2013, when it was time to celebrate its 90-year anniversary, it
was not quite ready to travel, because it was in a work shop, getting ready for
a new life.
But in 2016 the
famous steam locomotive was finally back on track. It was welcomed by huge
crowds of railway enthusiasts. Obviously, this recent event is not covered in
this film from 2013.
What do reviewers
say about it? On IMDb it has a rating of 70 per cent, which corresponds to 3.5
stars on Amazon. If you ask me, this average rating is too low.
On Amazon UK there
are four reviews of this product. The average rating is 4.8 stars. If you ask
me, this average rating is much more appropriate. I want to go all the way to
the top with this product. I think it deserves a rating of five stars.
The Flying
Scotsman: A Rail Romance is a fascinating film with a lot of interesting
footage. Some clips are old so they are in black-and-white; other clips are
more recent and they are in colour.
The people who are
interviewed in the film are well chosen. They are experts on railway history or
they have a close connection with the famous locomotive.
If you are
interested in the history of the modern world – in particular the history of
technology and transport – this film is definitely something for you.
PS # 1. The Flying
Scotsman from the Footplate is a documentary film that was shown on British
television (BBC) in December 2016 and released on DVD in March 2017.
PS # 2. Flying
Scotsman with Robson Green is a documentary film that was shown on British
television (ITV) in 2016. As far as I know, it is not available from Amazon.
PS # 3. Rocky
Mountain Express is a documentary film about Canada’s first transcontinental
railway and a steam locomotive which serves this route. In 2011, the film premiered
in the US and Canada; and in 2016 it was released on Blu-Ray (UHD) in 2016.
PS # 4. The four letters
“LNER” stand for London & North Eastern Railway. The 4472 usually ran
between London and Edinburgh. The journey lasted about eight hours.
PS # 5. Eric Gill
(1882-1940) was a British artist and typeface designer, whose typeface was used
for writing the name of the train and the names of the stations that it served.
For more information about this highly controversial character, see Fiona
MacCarthy’s biography from 1989 and her article “Written in Stone” that was
published in the Guardian on 22 July 2006.
PS # 6. The
following article about the Flying Scotsman is available online: Robert
Hardman, “Back on track!” Daily Mail, 25 February 2016.
*****
The Flying Scotsman
*****
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